Applying is an art in itself. To score your dream job, you not only need a strong resume and a distinctive cover letter, but you also need to make a good impression at the job interview. While these parts are still important, we often forget our online presence on social media.
Increasingly, employers and recruiters are using social media to find their next candidate. Conversely, people looking for a job can use social media to get noticed.
But how do you do that? How do you use social media to land that dream job? By expanding your network, making a good first impression, and distinguishing yourself from the rest. And we’ll tell you exactly how to do that.
Networking on LinkedIn
Good news if you don’t see yourself going to an awkward networking get-together where you don’t know anyone. Networking can now be done very well via LinkedIn. The first step is to have a good profile and distinguish yourself from the rest.
LinkedIn is a business platform, so it’s not weird if you invite people you find interesting or work at your dream company. Always send a personal message. To make the most of LinkedIn, you can also respond to posts you see, find a mentor via the platform and join LinkedIn groups about your field.
Other social media
LinkedIn may be the business platform, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything with other social media in the career field. There are plenty of groups on Facebook you can join.
Twitter is still very popular in some fields, and with Pinterest or Instagram, you can show more personality. If relevant to your field, you will naturally stand out with an online portfolio or your website.
Appearance
Whether you like it or not, you are building a personal brand if you have an online presence. You do this through the photos and texts you post, and it starts, for example, with your profile picture. This is your first impression, so make sure it’s not a blurry selfie of you in a bikini.
Google yourself
Have you ever entered your name into Google? This way, you find out if there might be things on the internet that you don’t want potential employers to see.
You can then exercise the right to be forgotten. Upon request, search engines must remove data about you if you wish.
You might even come across drunk photos from five years ago that you should remove from your Facebook profile. Believe us, your potential employer or a recruiter will come across that too. 92 percent of recruiters check your social media before inviting you for an interview.
Looking for a job
You can’t just use social media and your online presence for preparation. Even if you are looking for a job, you can use these channels well.
Maybe someone in your network shares an interesting vacancy, or you know another entrance via others. Social media can help you a lot in finding that dream job.
Use your network
Once you’re looking for a job, you can use the previous steps to land that dream job. Perhaps you have been able to contact someone who works at the organization via LinkedIn, and you will drink a (virtual) cup of coffee.
But you can also place a call to indicate what kind of challenge you are looking for. You can adjust in the privacy settings that your current boss (and other relevant people) do not see the message.
Find your employer
You can find a lot about organizations online these days. How they distinguish themselves, their mission and culture, and what kind of people work there… and those are just a few more examples.
When you come to a job interview, you make a good impression if you know a lot about the company. You come across as interested and proactive, and that’s exactly what they’re looking for.
